From roads to biobanks: Roadkill animals as a valuable source of genetic data.

To protect biodiversity we must understand its structure and composition including the bacteria and microparasites associated with wildlife, which may pose risks to human health. However, acquiring this knowledge often presents challenges, particularly in areas of high biodiversity where there are many undescribed and poorly studied species and funding resources can be limited. A solution to fill this knowledge gap is sampling roadkill (animals that die on roads as a result of collisions with circulating vehicles). These specimens can help characterize local wildlife and their associated parasites with fewer ethical and logistical challenges compared to traditional specimen collection. Here we test this approach by analyzing 817 tissue samples obtained from 590 roadkill vertebrate specimens (Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves and Mammalia) collected in roads within the Tropical Andes of Ecuador. First, we tested if the quantity and quality of recovered DNA varied across roadkill specimens collected at different times since death, exploring if decomposition affected the potential to identify vertebrate species and associated microorganisms. Second, we compared DNA stability across taxa and tissues to identify potential limitations and offer recommendations for future work. Finally, we illustrate how these samples can aid in taxonomic identification and parasite detection. Our study shows that sampling roadkill can help study biodiversity. DNA was recovered and amplified (allowing species identification and parasite detection) from roadkill even 120 hours after death, although risk of degradation increased overtime. DNA was extracted from all vertebrate classes but in smaller quantities and with lower quality from amphibians. We recommend sampling liver if possible as it produced the highest amounts of DNA (muscle produced the lowest). Additional testing of this approach in areas with different environmental and traffic conditions is needed, but our results show that sampling roadkill specimens can help detect and potentially monitor biodiversity and could be a valuable approach to create biobanks and preserve genetic data.

First national assessment of wildlife mortality in Ecuador: An effort from citizens and academia to collect roadkill data at country scale.

Ecuador has both high richness and high endemism, which are increasingly threatened by anthropic pressures, including roads. Research evaluating the effects of roads remains scarce, making it difficult to develop mitigation plans. Here, we present the first national assessment of wildlife mortality on roads that allow us to (1) estimate roadkill rates per species, (2) identify affected species and areas, and (3) reveal knowledge gaps. We bring together data from systematic surveys and citizen science efforts to present a dataset with 5010 wildlife roadkill records from 392 species, and we also provide 333 standardized corrected roadkill rates calculated on 242 species. Systematic surveys were reported by ten studies from five Ecuadorian provinces, revealing 242 species with corrected roadkill rates ranging from 0.03 to 171.72 ind./km/year. The highest rates were for the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia in Galapagos (171.72 ind./km/year), the cane toad Rhinella marina in Manabi (110.70 ind./km/year), and the Galapagos lava lizard Microlophus albemarlensis (47.17 ind./km/year). Citizen science and other nonsystematic monitoring provided 1705 roadkill records representing all 24 provinces in Ecuador and 262 identified species. The common opossum Didelphis marsupialis, the Andean white-eared opossum Didelphis pernigra, and the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia were more commonly reported (250, 104, and 81 individuals, respectively). Across all sources, we found 15 species listed as "Threatened" and six as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN. We recommend stronger research efforts in areas where the mortality of endemic or threatened species could be critical for populations, such as in Galapagos. This first country-wide assessment of wildlife mortality on Ecuadorian roads represents contributions from academia, members of the public, and government, underlining the value of wider engagement and collaboration. We hope these findings and the compiled dataset will guide sensible driving and sustainable planning of infrastructure in Ecuador and, ultimately, contribute to reduce wildlife mortality on roads.

Ecuador tiene gran riqueza y alto endemismo de especies, mismas que están amenazadas por presiones antrópicas como las carreteras. Sin embargo, la investigación en este campo es escasa, dificultando el desarrollo de planes de mitigación. Presentamos la primera evaluación nacional de mortalidad de fauna silvestre en carreteras que nos permite 1) estimar tasas de atropellamiento por especies, 2) identificar especies y áreas afectadas, y 3) revelar vacíos de información. Compilamos datos de estudios sistemáticos y esfuerzos de ciencia ciudadana en Ecuador para presentar una base de datos que comprende 5010 registros de atropellamientos correspondientes a 392 especies, también proveemos 333 tasas de atropellamiento estandarizadas para 242 especies. Monitoreos sistemáticos fueron reportados por diez estudios de cinco provincias del Ecuador, revelando 242 especies con una tasa de mortalidad que varía entre 0.03 y 171.72 ind./km/año. Las tasas de atropellamiento más altas correspondieron a la reinita amarilla Setophaga petechia en Galápagos (171.72 ind./km/año), el sapo de la caña Rhinella marina in Manabí (110.70 ind./km/año), y la lagartija de lava de Galápagos Microlophus albemarlensis (47.17 ind./km/año). La ciencia ciudadana y monitoreos no sistemáticos proporcionaron 1705 registros representando a las 24 provincias de Ecuador y a 262 especies identificadas. La zarigüeya común Didelphis marsupialis, la zarigüeya orejiblanca andina Didelphis pernigra y la reinita amarilla Setophaga petechia fueron las más reportadas (250, 104 y 81 individuos respectivamente). Considerando todas las fuentes de datos encontramos 15 especies clasificadas como amenazadas y seis como datos insuficientes por la UICN. Recomendamos mayores esfuerzos de investigación en áreas donde la mortalidad de especies endémicas o amenazadas puede ser crítica para las poblaciones, como en Galápagos. Esta primera evaluación de mortalidad silvestre en carreteras ecuatorianas representa contribuciones de varios sectores, incluidos la academia, ciudadanía y el gobierno, resaltando el valor de una mayor participación y colaboración. Esperamos que estos hallazgos y la base de datos guíen la planificación sostenible de infraestructuras viales en Ecuador y contribuyan a reducir la mortalidad animal en las carreteras por medio de una conducción vehicular más cautelosa.

Description of a new minute frog of the genus Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from Cordillera del Condor, Ecuador.

We describe a new species of Pristimantis from southern Ecuador, province of Zamora Chinchipe. The new species is closely related to an undescribed species of Pristimantis from Reserva Tapichalaca, Ecuador and with species of a clade historically assigned to the P. unistrigatus species group, such as P. parvillus, P. luteolateralis, P. walkeri, among others. The new species of Pristimantis is a miniaturized new frog (females 17.11.1 mm; males 13.20.9 mm), characterized by the presence of -shaped scapular folds, with two subconical tubercles on the medial and posterior regions of folds; tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus present but not externally visible; a prominent rostral papilla present; upper eyelid with one elongated conical tubercle; a conical tubercle on heels; groin with orange or yellow spots. The new species of Pristimantis is distributed in a restricted area in the Cordillera del Condor, a highly-diverse mountain range threatened by multiple anthropogenic activities. We recommend assigning the new species to the Endangered IUCN threatened category because it is only known from three nearby localities within mining concessions.